1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a portable computer, and more particularly to a portable computer, which can be selectively configured with an integrated drive electronics (IDE) hard disk or a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) hard disk via a single interface connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, a portable computer is configured with an IDE hard disk and transmits data and power signals to the IDE hard disk via a 44-pin interface connector. In order to improve data transmission rate, the new-generation portable computer is configured with a SATA hard disk. The novel SATA hard disk has only 22 pins, which is incompatible with the 44-pin IDE hard disk. Therefore, the portable computer can only be configured with the IDE hard disk and the SATA hard disk respectively via the IDE interface connector and the SATA interface connector.
Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a conventional portable computer configured with an IDE hard disk and a SATA hard disk is shown. The portable computer 100 has a circuit board 105, which includes a controller 110 (such as a south bridge chip), an IDE interface connector 121, and a SATA interface connector 122. The controller 110 includes an IDE-interface controlling unit 111 and a SATA-interface controlling unit 112, which can be respectively electrically coupled with an IDE hard disk 131 and a SATA hard disk 132 via an IDE interface connector 121 and a SATA interface connector 122.
However, in order that the portable computer 100 can be configured with the IDE hard disk 131 (or a CD-ROM drive), and the new-generation SATA hard disk 132, a SATA interface connector 122 has to be added into the portable computer 100 for coupling the SATA hard disk 132 in addition to the IDE interface connector 121. Therefore, the volume of the portable computer 100 has to be increased, which cannot satisfy the requirement that a portable computer is designed to be thin and small.